At 24, Suad Aba has known the hardships of conflict all her life. The daughter of a former Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) combatant, she grew up in an environment scarred by decades of armed struggle in Mindanao.
Yet despite the odds, Suad has kept her dream alive: to earn a college degree. Now a senior at the Sultan Kudarat Islamic Academy, she is set to graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Office Administration next year. “I faced many challenges that made pursuing higher education very difficult,” she tearfully recounted.
Suad is one of more than 3,000 beneficiaries of the Educational Assistance Program (EAP) of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU). The program, a key socioeconomic component of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB), provides financial support to decommissioned MILF combatants and their families.
On August 6, Suad received ₱25,000 in assistance to cover her school fees this semester. For her, the check symbolized more than tuition — it meant hope. “My greatest hope is to uplift my family and give back to my community,” she said.
Presidential Peace Adviser Secretary Carlito G. Galvez Jr. said stories like Suad’s show why the government must sustain its peace commitments. “The narratives of each student supported by the EAP are the strongest reason to continue advancing the Bangsamoro peace process,” he stressed.
